Peru reports 1st monkeypox-related death

BOGOTA, Colombia

Peru on Monday reported its first death of a person infected with monkeypox as the number of cases in the country topped 300.

It involved a 45-year-old man who had HIV and a weakened immune system, said the director of a public hospital in the capital, Lima.

The man arrived at the hospital with monkeypox, but “his health had weakened after abandoning treatment for HIV/AIDS,” said Eduardo Farfan, director of Dos de Mayo Hospital.

He arrived “with skin injuries” and “a lung problem, which is why he was treated at the ICU,” said Farfan. “The patient arrived with a very advanced infection," he added.

Peru has more than 305 cases of monkeypox, according to figures released Monday by the Health Ministry. The head of the National Health Institute, Victor Suarez, warned that the number of infected people could grow as long as risky behavior such as having multiple sexual partners continues.

Monkeypox has so far primarily affected men who have sex with men, but experts warn that anyone in close contact with an infected person or their clothing could be at risk of infection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a global health emergency on July 23.

Last week, Brazil's Health Ministry reported the first monkeypox-related death outside Africa in the current outbreak -- a 41-year-old man who had cancer and a weakened immune system.​​​​​​​

​​Brazil, along with the US and Canada, is among the countries most affected by monkeypox in the Americas.

Argentina was the first Latin American country to confirm the disease, followed by Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and Chile.